The first priority of chemistry - Production in multipurpose batch plants

Multipurpose batch technology suits the thermodynamic prejudice of the organic chemist's understanding of chemical processes when he is faced with the challenge of scale-up. He is convinced that the kinetic aspects of the process can be mastered with a standardized approach. This concept allows the development of a scaleable process with reasonable effort to the point that makes the production of the first few kilograms of a new chemical entity feasible. This aspect is of paramount importance in the production of pharmaceutical fine chemicals when availability of the required amounts for clinical trials is the key factor to success. Furthermore such a process usually makes commercial production of ton quantities economical with acceptable costs. The number of available process technologies for the production of organic fine chemicals in ton quantities is limited. The driving factors are not only the time and resources needed for process development but also future production costs. Any cost savings in future production must give an acceptable return on the investment of process development. A multi-step synthesis requires a range of diverse production technologies with differences in yield over time and volume. Development of continuous processes in dedicated plants is rarely an alternative to batch technology. Furthermore at the time when process development for a dedicated plant should start, reliable information on required future quantities is not available. Objective of any process development is therefore the diligent use of the advantages of batch technology. This demands not only the knowledge of the pitfalls of this approach but also the flexibility to consider alternatives where required.